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Cindy,
I was asked to make this submission to a Los Angeles-based group
of Consultants and Visionaries, one of whom has a contact on the
Clinton-Gore Transition Team. The following paper is one of 31
papers that was published in the full Presidential transition
document.
You have my permission to post this in Notes Conferences of your
choosing.
Richard Bradley (SWAM2::BRADLEY_RI)
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BLUEPRINT FOR PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION
By Richard Bradley, October, 1992
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST
"Putting People First" is not just an apt and catchy slogan for a
political campaign. It has been an important theme for my life's work.
It is, as well, a rational basis for the building of a civilization
worthy of the intelligence of our species. People are, after all, the
reason for Highways and Bridges, Farms and Factories, Schools and
Hospitals, Legislatures and Lending institutions. It is most
appropriate that we inaugurate this hope-filled new administration with
programs, demonstrations, speeches, awards and new institutional forms
directed at "Putting People First". I wish to propose a few ideas to
help the new Administration begin its work.
The first 100 Days we should establish the theme "Putting People First"
by having it be the keynote of the Inaugural Address. President Clinton
should make it clear that this Administration consists of a coalition
of people from differing political philosophies, the rich and poor,
from highly educated University Professors to Migrant Workers, from
CEO's to High-Tech Industries to Custodial Workers in hospitals. We
are making a solemn commitment to re-dedicating American institutions
to their rightful place--ennobling, educating, feeding, our people:
providing meaningful work, insuring access to affordable healthcare,
restoring our children's right to plan for bright futures.
Here are specific elements of this new thrust:
INCREASING RESPECT FOR PEOPLE-RELATED PROFESSIONS:
The President could establish a new category of awards for those in the
"People Professions". The Presidential Medal of Freedom could be used,
or an entirely new Award system could be established. Let me give
examples:
1. Awards for outstanding Public School teachers, by category
(elementary, junior high, high school, small college, University). We
must do more to elevate this area of public service so that more of our
"best and brightest" will choose this profession.
2. Human Sciences Exemplars. It is time that the developments of the
new sciences of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology be given a platform
to share what is now known about human behavior. I would be careful to
avoid adoption of an "official orthodoxy" by the Administration,
surely, there can be ways to find topics where there is reasonable
consensus, or where several dominant points of view could be shared
about such important topics as:
o Child Rearing
o Self-esteem
o High-Performance Teaming
o How to manage the marriage relationship
o Menopause and its psychological consequences to the marriage
relationship
o Multi-cultural neighborhoods in U.S. cities: what to do, and
what not to do
o How to work with persons suffering with mental illness
o Optimal performance for Seniors: how to get the most from our
wise men and women
o Dealing with Technophobia: how to increase computer literacy
o The efficacy of Meditation and Relaxation techniques
o How to reduce and ultimately eliminate the reason for Urban
Gangs
This, of course, is a minute sample of the kinds of people-issues that
cry out for informed discussion, well-formed research, and most
importantly, a significant platform where our brightest, most
accomplished social scientists can share what they've learned.
3. Healthcare Awards
Hundreds of thousands of Healthcare workers risk their lives every day
caring for us. Emergency Room Technicians, Nurses, and Physicians
place their very lives in jeopardy handling a bleeding, unconscious
patient--who just might be infected with a dangerous, infectious
disease. How do we thank the people who save our lives? Surely this
is a category of awards that is long overdue. Here are suggestions for
Award categories: I hesitate to describe them, as I assume that once
you read the names describing their work, you'll understand why this
written offering is too short to give adequate explanation for their
extraordinary contribution to helping our civilization work. The Nobel
Prize for medicine would never be given for their service, but just ask
the Mother of the little boy who can walk because of the dedication and
love of a Physical Therapist, or the Mother whose Neonatal Nurse has
nursed her 2-pound "premie" into smiling, healthy infant hood.
o Pediatric Nursing
o Obstetrics
o Psychiatric Social Work
o Rehabilitative Medicine
o Oncology
o Surgical Specialties (Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Limb
Restoration, etc.)
4. New Developments in Human Functioning
For about a generation, pioneers of the human spirit have been at work
building a vast body of work: books, practices, games, techniques--
known to a tiny minority of our country. This work encompasses the
full range of human functioning from psychological health, to
nutrition, martial arts, meditation techniques, body therapies, dance,
sports, music, arts and much, much more. Some of the developments
spawned by what is often called, "The Human Potential Movement" have
quietly entered the ordinary Corporate life via Sensitivity and
Encounter Groups where they now form the basis of "Teaming Training".
Many sales organizations now offer training in Neuro-linguistic
Programming (NLP)--a linguistic and behavioral technique also
championed by some psychotherapists and courtroom lawyers.
Esalen Institute (Big Sur, California) is credited with being a seminal
place for the development of what is now known as "The Human Potential
Movement". Michael Murphy's legacy of 100 plus acres of land
overlooking the Big Sur Coast was converted to a place where some of
the most accomplished pioneers of human development showed off their
life's work. Among them were such as Fredrick "Fritz" Perls,
Buckminster Fuller, Paul Tillich, Abraham Maslow, Aldous Huxley, Rollo
May, Carl Rogers, Will Shutz, George Leonard, Ida Rolf, Moishe
Feldenkrais, and many, many others. Some of them are still with us and
could help to present to the American people many new and old ways of
becoming fully human. Here's some of what is available to help Put
People First:
o Michael Murphy, Founder of Esalen Institute, has just published
a book, "The Future of the Body: Explorations Into the Further
Evolution of Human Nature" (Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.). It is as
scholarly work, some 15 years in gestation, which explores the
full range of human capabilities and suggests how we, as a
species, might consciously make shifts in human consciousness as
significant as the development of language. Surely a goal this
important deserves exploration (not endorsement by the
Administration). Transforming our culture into one fomenting
human evolution, rather than one whose crowning glory is the
development of fast cars and $10,000 watches just might be worth
our while.
o Alternative Medical Practices. This ranges from Vegetarianism
and its permutations to Acupuncture, Vedic Medicine, Body
Therapies of a wide variety (Rolfing, Massage, Acupressure, and so
on), Herbal medicine, plus combinations of some of the above with
conventional Western medical practices. Surely, it is worth
exploring less expensive medical intervention, to allow our people
a wider range of choices.
o Human Performance Training. It is abundantly clear that
American industry is not getting the best from our people. Most
Managers have not been exposed to training processes which elicit
optimal performance from our people. They don't know of the
existence of small companies such as Sportsmind (Seattle,
Washington), where a well-hewn mix of Human Potential processes
are used (for example) to train thousands of people at a very
large Communications company. They are learning through real
experience how to become committed to accomplishing difficult
tasks with diverse people. Recently (August, 1992), I saw several
women, well in excess of 200 pounds leap from the top of a 65-foot
high pole, onto a trapeze bar--accompanied by the cheers and
encouragement of their team members. They will never be the same
as before they began that course. In addition, they attended
sessions covering such topics as:
- Dedication to Customer
- Choice
- Awareness
- Accountability
- Honesty and Integrity
Sportsmind sent their own Consulting Chef to the Resort where this
four and one-half day training took place to insure that the
participants learned how to live on a low-fat, nutritious diet,
with 7:00AM stretching exercises and cardiovascular walks. Are
there any companies in our country whose performance could be
enhanced through training such as this? The White House could
catalyze our industrial (and Governmental) institutions to
increase the performance of our people. It is essential in this
age of Global competition and to save scarce government dollars in
an age of gargantuan deficits.
Putting people first is the theme; the intention is to infuse the
American people with a new enthusiasm to build the world's best
civilization. The Clinton-Gore Administration can get this process
started by providing a forum for our exemplary performers in the
"People Professions", by giving them a platform for enlightening the
rest of us, by awards which indicate what we value: highly developed
human skills, courage, patience, caring, love of our fellow humans.
There are thousands of us ready to help.
Biography:
Richard L. Bradley
Digital Equipment Corporation
1909 Glendon Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90025
FAX (714)850-3114
I was born in Chicago in 1942, and was raised during my formative years
in a Public Housing Project in South Chicago, Altgeld Gardens. Despite
this inauspicious beginning, I received a superior education from
dedicated teachers at George Washington Carver (elementary and high
schools). I then attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where
I obtained a B.S. in Psychology. Immediately after school I joined the
IBM Corporation where I remained for twelve years. I learned computer
technology through IBM's internal schools, as there were no University
courses at that time (except at MIT and similar places). Over the past
twenty eight years of working life I have worked at four computer
companies (IBM, Honeywell, XEROX and for the past eight years, Digital
Equipment Corporation). I now manage Software Consultants in Southern
California for Digital.
My avocation for the past twenty years has been Human Potential
Facilitation. I was initially trained at the Topanga Center for Human
Development (Topanga, California) by Psychologists and Psychiatrists
who had received substantial training at Esalen Institute. I have also
become affiliated with Esalen Institute over the past twenty years
where I have attended workshops in Gestalt Therapy, Neurolinguistic
Programming, Aikido, Arica, Meditation, Leonard Energy Training and
much more. I have also assisted in training with George Leonard, my
principal mentor over this period. Through my association with Esalen
I developed a relationship of long-standing with Neuropsychologist Karl
Pribram, now director of the Brain Research Laboratory at Radford
University, (Radford, Virginia). Pribram is credited with the
development of Holonomic theories of Brain organization and Perception.
This work has been of special importance to me over the past fourteen
years. In 1979 I developed a Workshop to explain this extraordinary
work to my friends and associates. I am currently developing a
Workshop on the subject of Diversity, which I expect to present at
Esalen Institute.
I recently was a Guest Lecturer for Betty Friedan at the University of
Southern California in her program, "New Paradigms of Leadership". I
am currently writing a book on Diversity with a working title, "Toward
Diversity and Unity: American Forges a New Destiny".
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